Infected Types & Tips

The infected's main objective is to stop the survivors from reaching the safe house or the evacuation point (by killing them, or by knocking down all of them at once, preventing them from reviving one another). The infected are infinite in number, so they should keep hounding the survivors, wearing them down as much as possible. We're not asking that the infected blindly chase after their prey and not set up ambushes whenever the opportunity arises, but every step the survivors make will put them closer to the escape point, or at least give them more distance to work their deadly guns.

The infected can climb many surfaces that the survivors can't (as indicated by the glowing prints). Try sneaking behind the survivors by climbing over the ledges to their sides or rear.

The boss-type infected make a lot of distinctive noises that can alert survivors to their presence. Move with fellow infected or attack from dark corners to better mask those noises.

Unlike the survivors, the infected will keep burning until they die if they touch fire, so be sure to avoid the hot stuff.

In versus mode, the respawn closets for the survivors are removed, so every survivor defeated will make the infected's job much easier.

Infected Types

Horde

"We're the guys you see get blown away by the dozens in the movies!"

The generic infected who make the usual groaning noises. Collectively known as the horde, they attack by rushing toward the survivors and clawing at or stomping on them. Their attacks can also drag and slow down the survivors, preventing their victims from running away. They aren't very powerful individually, but in mass they can quickly chip away at the survivors' life and pose a real threat.

SURVIVORS // Some horde, usually the lone ones left here and there, begin in a stupor and can be raced past with ease. Do so to save ammo and to avoid alerting any other nearby horde. Try to keep pipe bombs at hand, in case there are sudden waves of horde.

INFECTED // The horde are best at distracting the survivors. The other infected can strike more effectively when the survivors turn their backs to focus on groups of horde, like during the defense points or when the boomers score a hit with their bile.

Smokers

"We're the walking versions of the barnacle monsters from Half-Life!"

LIFE //

250 percent

RELOAD SPEED //

moderate

The face-ruined, coat-wearing infected who make choking noises, and who have faintly glowing particles floating around them. Smokers can shoot out their extremely long tongues, sniper-style. If they latch onto survivors, they will drag those survivors toward themselves for additional clawing punishment, incapacitating their victims until other survivors hit them or sever their tongues. Defeated smokers will explode into a cloud of choking smoke that will cloud the survivors' vision (but not actually injure them).

SURVIVORS // Smokers must have a clear line of sight to use their tongue attacks, so try not to stay at a place where they can reach through a window. Better yet, keep moving and don't stop, reducing their chances of snagging a good shot. If other survivors get caught, hit the offending smokers or their tongues to free the victims.

INFECTED // Smokers have an incredible range for their tongue attacks. If possible, aim for unwary or distracted survivors from a distance, preferably from a high ledge, through a window, or within shadows. Sniping from a good position is all the more important given the smokers' tunnel-like view, which leaves them with impaired peripheral vision. Try to work with other smokers and hunters to trap multiple survivors at once, so the victims can't rescue one another.

Boomers

"We're the big fat dynamos!"

LIFE //

50 percent

RELOAD SPEED //

very slow

The bloated infected who make belching noises. Boomers can vomit streams of bile in an arc. If this bile hits survivors, the affected survivors will attract a wave of horde. Defeated boomers will explode into a blast of bile that has the same effect on any survivors who are close enough.

SURVIVORS // Boomers are deadly only at close ranges, where their puke and their exploding bodies have any effect. Blast them from a distance. Their bulk makes them very easy to hit anyway. Boomers also suffer a shoving penalty, where the survivors' melee attacks will knock them back farther and stun them longer, giving the survivors more time to back away and then shoot. If caught by some bile, throw out a pipe bomb to draw away the incoming horde, countering the bile's effect.

INFECTED // Boomers have a much shorter attacking range than smokers, and their vomit attack takes much longer to reload. Their best bet is to surprise survivors from around corners or other types of cover. That way, even if their vomit attack doesn't connect, they might spook the survivors into firing up close at them, allowing their exploding bodies to hit their victims.

Hunters

"We're the xenomorph knock-offs, gangsta style!"

LIFE //

250 percent

RELOAD SPEED //

fast

The hooded, darkly clad infected who are silent until they crouch. Hunters run faster, and they can perform pouncing attacks. If they land on survivors, they will pin down those survivors, incapacitating their victims until other survivors hit them.

SURVIVORS // Hunters pounce quickly, but their attacks aren't instantaneous like those of smokers. The survivors can lessen the chance of getting caught if they keep moving, especially if they manage to run perpendicularly to the hunters' direction of approach. Computer-controlled hunters will also try to claw up close instead of pouncing, if the survivors manage to bump right into them around corners.

INFECTED // Hunters must crouch for a few moments to charge up their pouncing attacks, so try to launch such attacks from shadows or other dark areas to avoid being seen. Choosing a good place and moment to perform such attacks is vital, because hunters growl whenever they crouch and charge up, likely alerting wary survivors. Try to work with other hunters and smokers to trap multiple survivors at once, so the victims can't rescue one another.

Tanks

"We're the evil cousins of an incredibly hulking comic book superhero!"

LIFE //

4000 percent

RELOAD SPEED //

moderate

The gigantic, super muscular infected who stomp around loudly (causing the screen to keep shaking), and who add a dramatic ambience when they appear. Tanks can rip up a chunk of the ground and then hurl it forward. They can also suck up a very large amount of pain before keeling over, so they can usually afford to charge straight up to survivors and wail away on them.

SURVIVORS // Tanks have punching attacks that can temporarily stun as well as knock their victims over great distances, so the survivors should keep backing away while firing at full blast. (The survivors can only outrun tanks if they have high life, or a green meter.) The chunk-hurling attack has a blast radius at the point of impact that's larger than it looks, so begin moving away to the sides as soon as the tanks lean down to rip out a chunk.

INFECTED // Tanks are supposed to suck up damage, so don't be shy about charging straight up to the survivors. The punching attacks can briefly incapacitate survivors, so tanks can do the most damage by repeatedly smashing the same survivors, preventing them from fighting back and fleeing. If there are huge pits nearby, try bashing the survivors over the edges to an instant death, too.

Witches

"We're the glowing-eyed maidens OF distress!"

The long-haired, siren-like infected who make girlish weeping noises, and who add a creepy choirish ambience when they are neared. Witches are the most unusual of the infected in that they behave like proximity mines, only dressed up to lure unsuspecting survivors to their doom. They initially remain stationary in a drooping sitting position, until a survivor disturbs them by approaching too close to them, by attacking them, or by shining a light on them. They will then stand up and dash straight toward that survivor (ignoring everyone else, unless the survivor who has startled them moves out of reach). Their clawing attacks will instantly knock down survivors regardless of the amount of life. Compared to hunters, witches don't completely incapacitate their victims, but their claws hurt a hell lot more. Witches will also try to flee if they kill their selected targets.

SURVIVORS // Witches are harmless as long as the survivors don't disturb them. Keep an ear out for their weeping noises and especially for their trademark ambience (which plays out when they are dangerously close). Witches tend to appear in adequately lit locations, so don't worry about bumping into them in the dark. The only real danger comes if witches are sitting at a narrow passageway and cannot be avoided. In that case, try to get on high or broken terrain before pounding away at the witches as quickly as possible, in order to delay their rapid dash. Given the sheer speed of witches and their high likelihood of reaching their intended victims, the survivors may also want to bunch up relatively close together and concentrate their fire in these situations, because witches can focus on only one survivor anyway.

INFECTED // Witches may not move on their own at first, but they can still support their fellow infected in an indirect fashion. If the survivors disturb a witch, they will be particularly vulnerable to tandem attacks from other infected. The boss infected, particularly smokers, can also try standing behind witches while sniping at the survivors, so the survivors will risk disturbing the witches if they choose to return fire.